This invention relates to a transfer station for transferring mineral material from a longwall conveyor to a roadway loading conveyor in a mine working.
In a known transfer station of this kind (see DE-OS No. 3 306 568), which is intended for the diversion of conveyed mineral material from a longwall working into a roadway, the discharge end of the longwall conveyor and the reversing end of the loading conveyor are combined in a common drive frame, the discharge end of the longwall conveyor lying above that part of the drive frame accomodating the reversing drum of the loading conveyor. Since the loading conveyor, which feeds the conveyed mineral material to a roadway conveyor, has a considerably smaller length than the longwall conveyor, it requires no heavy and expensive roller curve to deflect the mineral material through the 90.degree. curved path between the two conveyors. Thus, compared with a longwall conveyor provided with a roller curve, this known transfer station has a reduced constructional expense. Moreover, it enables a double centre-chain scraper assembly to be used for the longwall conveyor, and this is advantageous for long longwall workings.
The known transfer station is admittedly not free from disadvantages. By way of example, the disadvantages include the relatively large overall dimensions, and especially the great overall height of the transfer station which results from the fact that the drive frame of the longwall conveyor and the reversing frame of the loading conveyor are fitted one above the other. Moreover, the loading conveyor is constructed relatively far in advance of the discharge end of the longwall conveyor. Therefore, it is not possible to advance the drive frame of the longwall conveyor into the roadway, and in doing so to prolong a winning machine guide on the longwall conveyor sufficiently far into the roadway to enable the longwall winning machine to cut the roadway profile or to win the seam in the roadway region. The overhead delivery at the discharge end of the longwall conveyor is also disadvantageous with regard to the transference of large pieces of material, since the conveying cross-section of the longwall conveyor is somewhat constricted in the region of its drive frame, and conveying troubles can arise in the passage of large pieces along the curved region of the loading conveyor. Finally, in the known transfer station, it is impossible, in the case of plough winning in a longwall working to provide a stepped-up plough drive adjacent to the free end of the drive frame of the longwall conveyor.
The object of the invention is to provide a transfer station which will satisfactorily transfer conveyed material whilst having smaller overall dimensions. Another object is to provide a transfer station that enables a winning machine guide to be extended from a longwall working into an adjacent roadway, so that cutting of the roadway profile or seam working within the roadway profile is possible with the aid of the winning machine provided in the longwall working.